Please accept our apologies for cross-posting this message.

On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board Elections Committee, I am pleased to announce that self-nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Elections.[1]

The Board of Trustees (Board) is the decision-making body that is ultimately responsible for the long-term sustainability of the Wikimedia Foundation,[2] so we value wide input into its selection. More information about this role can be found at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_of_Trustees. Please read the letter from the Board of Trustees calling for candidates here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_of_Trustees/Call_for_candidates.

The candidacy submission phase will last from April 7 (00:00 UTC) to April 20 (23:59 UTC) and occurring on Meta-Wiki at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_of_Trustees/Candidates

We will also be accepting questions to ask the candidates from April 7 to April 20. You can submit your questions on Meta-Wiki at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_of_Trustees/Questions

Once the questions submission period has ended on April 20, the Elections Committee will then collate the questions for the candidates to respond to beginning on April 21.

The goal of this process is to fill the three community-selected seats on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. The election results will be used by the Board itself to select its new members.

The full schedule for the Board elections is as follows. All dates are inclusive, that is, from the beginning of the first day (UTC) to the end of the last.

* April 7 (00:00 UTC) - April 20 (23:59 UTC): Board nominations * April 7 - April 20: Board candidates questions submission period * April 21 - April 30: Board candidates answer questions * May 1 - May 14: Board voting period * May 15-19: Board vote checking * May 20: Board result announcement goal

In addition to the Board elections, we will also soon be holding elections for the following roles:

* Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) ** There are five positions being filled. More information about this election can be found at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Funds_Dissemination_Committee.

* Funds Dissemination Committee Ombudsperson (Ombuds)

** One position is being filled.  More information about this election can be found at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Funds_Dissemination_Committee_Ombudsperson.

Please note that this year the Board of Trustees elections will be held before the FDC and Ombuds elections. Candidates who are not elected to the Board are explicitly permitted and encouraged to submit themselves as candidates to the FDC or Ombuds positions after the results of the Board elections are announced.

More information on this year's elections can be found at  https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017.

Please feel free to post a note about the election on your project's village pump. Any questions related to the election can be posted on the talk page on Meta, or sent to the election committee's mailing list, <board-elections AT wikimedia.org>.

On behalf of the Election Committee, Katie Chan, Chair, Board Election Committee Joe Sutherland, Community Advocate, Wikimedia Foundation

PS. An on-wiki version of this message is available for translation at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Updates/...

[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2017/Board_of... [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees

-- Joe Sutherland Community Advocate Wikimedia Foundation